The Valley Arts Newsletter is an email newsletter published on Tuesdays with news about art shows and events, calls for artists and opportunities, art class announcements, and studio availabilities. The information is submitted by our readers and is focused on the visual arts in the Pioneer Valley area. See the Submissions page for details about submitting your listing.

This Week's Newsletter: July 28, 2015

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More than one hundred works from the Reading Public Museum, all organized according to the artists' colonies that played such a critical role in the development of Impressionism in America. The featured artists included Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase and Charles Webster Hawthorne.

Contact: Matt Longhimlonghi@springfieldmuseums.org413-263-6800

Pocumtuck Homelands Festival

Given the name Spozowialakws (Morningstar) by an Abenaki Elder, Kent is and enrolled member of the Nulhegan Band, Coosuk-Abanaki of Vermont, and also descended from NPissing, Montagnais, and Algonquin People from the Quebec area of Canada. Her gourd art work contains Native American symbols and designs of the Northeast Woodland People with focus on the Wabanaki group. Currently she is working on a series of gourd designs which she hopes will provide a visual language for the woodland people.

Agawam Exhibits/Events

Spread The Rumer

The photography of Jolene Mercadante, Assistant Director at the Agawam Public Library. Whether through writing, speaking, and now photography exhibits; Jolene hopes she can impact the way people think and reveal the breed that was once the "All American Dog"! Jolene's work will be featured on the Gallery walls, as well as the display case on the lower level. For more information, please visit @mylifeinpits on Instagram.

Artists: Martin Bridge, Kamil Peters, Michael Crigler, Carl Bridge, and Jesse Massaro. The medicine of the artist, like that of the shaman, arises from his or her relationship to "familiars"--the themes, methods, colors and materials that interact with the artist through the creative process. In this exhibition, curator Michael Crigler brings together 5 local versatile artists working in various media to explore the creative process of healing.

Amherst Art Walk

A free cultural event held monthly throughout downtown. Any month might include exhibitions of visual art, poetry readings, musical performances, lectures. Venues offer refreshments and a trolley can whisk you from place to place. The Art Walk brings people into businesses, showcases contemporary art and culture, promotes scores of area artists, and brings cultural enrichment to residents and visitors. Check online for monthly show listings and information on artists and venues.

The last exhibition in the 2015 Radakovich 21st Century Award competition juried by Arline Fisch and Jean Radakovich. Celebrating sculptural adornment and art of the 21st century, viewers are invited to try on artworks and reflect on the stylistic, technical, and cultural connections between the 20th mid-century modern masters and this century's contemporaries. Local sculptor, Steve Saxenian, will have rotating artworks on display at each exhibit.

The Art and Life of Edward Kwiatkowski

Born with cerebral palsy, Kwiatkowski picked up his first art utensil with his left foot, and never looked back. He sadly passed away last year, yet his inspirational life lives on through his sketches and paintings.

Gallery A3, a member-based contemporary fine art gallery, will present its second open, juried show. The juror is John R. Stomberg, director of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. Exhibited works will come from artists throughout the Pioneer Valley.

The Jewish Chicken Farm Series

From around 1999-2002 Paula Gottlieb created a series of paintings interpreted from old family photos taken in the 1940's and 1950's on her family's New Jersey chicken farm. In the process she has recreated a period of time informed by her memory and intuition. The paintings are documentation and memoir of a thriving community that virtually disappeared by the 1970's.

Scheinfeld's evocative, large-scale photos capture the dramatic decline of the once-thriving Catskills resort area known as the Borscht Belt, a popular vacation spot for much of the 20th century, especially for Jews from New York. Scheinfeld's images reveal ghostly remnants of the region's glory years as well as powerful evidence of nature's claim on the vacant resorts and their landscapes. The exhibition includes Scheinfeld's personal collection of ephemera from iconic Borscht Belt hotels.

Rob Chirico is a masterly oil painter who focuses intently on landscapes and still lifes. And, for the first time in New England, he will be showing his witty and irreverent drawings, what he calls his "Art Objections." They are all pastiches and parodies of works of art, with a good deal of irony and gender-bending.

Introduces the artists of EAG and their works in watercolors, acrylics, oils, and mixed media, illustrating the diversity and breadth of their paintings. This group exhibition will showcase a sampling of the artists' favorite creations.

Lori has been a resident of Hampshire County for several years. She enjoys traveling and has been able to capture the sights and scenes of her adventures through the lens of her camera. Recently, Lori decided to share her love of photography by displaying her artwork at public venues.

The Easthampton Art Guild is made up of a diverse community of artists who meet weekly. Members paint, draw and use various media, while sharing with and learning from each other. The group is committed to creating a community that is supportive and inspiring. Mary Ann Austin, Elizabeth Chase, Nancy Caffall, Terry Faivre, Nancy Nickerson, Nancy Perry, Lois Peirent, Marj Tauer, Eleanor Herman, Betty Stull-Schaffer, Joanne O'Leary, Noreen Lucey, Peg Wilson.

MEMORY FULL

Outdoor zine release and slideshow with live soundtrack by Certain Death and John Ward. Featuring cell phone photos from artists in the Valley and beyond. Published by Sister Sister Books and edited by Trevor Powers and Esther S White.

Features artists who are giving voice to the transformational experience of motherhood. For many, coming into the identity of a mother is not simple: it is a complicated, conflicting, and sometimes painful process that can involve a variety of emotions, from joy to sadness. Light refreshments and on-site childcare will be provided during opening reception. Esther S White, Hannah Richards, Rachel Ciecko, Marissa Potter, Jennifer Long, Avril Ward, Erin Faith Allen, Jennifer Linton, Dara Herman Zierlein.

Aimee O'Sullivan is an Easthampton native and a self-inspired artist. She loves creating visual images that evoke positive feelings and a sense of well-being. Aimee holds an MPH from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and appreciates the positive impact art can have on health and comfort for individuals and communities.

Currently, Bill serves as president of the Pioneer Valley Photographic Artists. While he rules out nothing as a photographic subject or approach, most of his recent work has been macro in scale and abstract in style. In this exhibit, Bill returns to an old love, black and white imagery, and treats himself and the viewer to a feast of textures, lines and tones.

Things Keep Changing: Palimpsests

Made of previously painted canvas, organic matter, spray paint, hardware and string, this work explores art, ownership, letting go and the nature of change. Palimpsest noun \pa-ləm(p)-sest 1. A manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain. 2. Something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface.

Lecture: Stuart Shils: Tracing the Path from there to Here

Part of the Blueway Art Alliance and Oxbow Gallery Lecture Series collaboration. A lecture about the work and career of Philadelphia and New York artist Stuart Shils. Stuart Shils (b. 1954), Philadelphia, has painted outside for more than 30 years. His paintings are represented by Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects in New York, Davis and Langdale, New York and Rothchild Fine Art in Tel Aviv.

Culinary Tools

The show includes a photographic collection of culinary tools that evoke history and memory. "The women in my family collected antiques. Their kitchen shelves displayed dulled metal flour and sugar tins and misshapen biscuit cutters, worn out from daily use. Antique stoves and pie safes held pastries shaped by hand. I loved hearing their stories recanted in the kitchen over coffee and pie."

Simultaneous combined group exhibits of artist members at two cooperative galleries in the Valley: The Oxbow Gallery and Gallery A3 in Amherst. Artists will present new works in a range of media and styles, including; painting, drawing, photography, assemblage, and sculpture.

The artist is a Professor Emeritus, UMASS. He has published 18 books in American politics; organization theory; education. Upon retiring eight years ago, he has concentrated on painting, photography and essays. The show will include art that the artist is hopeful will be enjoyed by many and might help their day just a little.

A set of photo illustration portraits of dolls and figurines taken at second hand stores. Since ancient times, dolls have played a central role in magic and religious rituals, or used as representations of a deity. Dolls have also been toys for children and collected by adults, for their nostalgic value, beauty, historical importance or financial value. Dolls have traditionally been made as crude, rudimentary playthings as well as with elaborate, artful design.

Beth Filson is a writer and self-taught artist whose work is often featured in the art brut or outsider art community. Her simple etchings on scratchboard emerged when language failed her. "Grief and Resurection" is the product of this time. Beth has been exhibited in a number of galleries throughout Georgia and her art has appeared in various magazines including The Perch, and The National Council Magazine.

Lecture: Consciousness, Non-Self, and Contemplative Art: Buddhist Influences on a New Art Movement

How are Buddhist ways of looking at the mind and human experience affecting how art is produced and understood? Andrew Olendzki, Ph.D., is a local Buddhist scholar, teacher, and writer who has a deep understanding of Buddhist psychology and the teachings of the historical Buddha. Reception to follow. Lecture in conjunction with EXHIBITS by Betsey Garand, Carolyn Webb, Kathryn Fanelli, currently on view at Jannotta Gallery in Hillyer Hall.

This exhibition of images from books in the Mortimer Rare Book Room features glaciers, polar expeditions, and other icy scenes from the 18th to the 21st century. Some notable items: glaciers in Diderot's "Encyclopedie"; Virginia Woolf's parents in the Alps; Bradford Washburn's photographs of snow-capped mountains in Washington state; Barry Moser's alpine and arctic landscapes from his illustrated "Frankenstein".

The photographs in Outside-In, through strong lines, geometric shapes, and colors - and sometimes their absence - explore the built environment and its relationship to our emotional, psychological, and spiritual being. Together, the body of work plays with the many layers of how we experience 'outside' and 'in' as humans in the physical world, traversing shelter and space, the familiar and unknown, looking out and looking in, feeling invited and repelled.

Birds have always been a favorite subject for artists with their vibrant colors, furious motion, and comfortable familiarity. In this collection, Nicole Werth explores birds through the mediums of acrylic and watercolor, showcasing birds ranging from the diminutive Yellow-rumped Warbler to the majesty of the Great Blue Heron. Come take a peek into the fascinating world of birds.

Neal Parks explores creativity and cultural memory in his new exhibit. The Easthampton artist's muse is the 19th century artist Charles C. Burleigh Jr. (1848-1882), who spent his teen and young adult years in Florence. Burleigh spent the last
4 years of his too-short life in Europe, where he painted and also executed copies of museum masterworks for clients back home.

Coming Home Again

The artist paints in charcoal, oils and pastel. Her subjects include local landscapes, the New England coast, animals and renderings of the southwest. She has just returned from a painting trip on the Southwest coast of Ireland. The artist is
a member of the Hilltown Plein Air Painters, the Hilltown Artisan's Guild, the Connecticut Pastel Society and the Academic Artist's Association.

New England in Summertime

The show includes paintings of local farms, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, still lifes and flowers. Pleinaire on the coast, still lifes in studio at Memorial Hall in Old Deerfield and others; a combination of onsite and photos the artist took and completed in her studio.

The Birds Downtown

What do you see in a city? It depends on how closely you look, and it depends on what you expect to find. Before I began birding in downtown Holyoke I assumed there were no falcons or owls or warblers here. It wasn't a vision of the city that made sense. But, I was wrong. The birds featured in this exhibit were all photographed in the heart of Holyoke's urban core. It's a landscape shaped by industry; a world of canals and factories and tenements.

Curatorial 365

From January 1 through December 31, 2014, Leslie Tane designed one "4x6" postcard every day. The result is "Curatorial 365." After graduate school, Leslie decided to continue her study of curation, exhibit design, and art history with this mediation of making. After reading a relevant essay each day, she selected a phrase from it to design. The intention was two-fold: the reading became a daily practice of learning and the designing sharpened her creative skills.

Folk Arts and Artifacts From America's Prison Culture

Curated by Phyllis Kornfeld, with Janelle Aieta. The creative spirit is unstoppable no matter what the circumstances. Incarcerated men and women triumph over security bans with ingenious resourcefulness - extracting color from shampoo, making paint out of M & Ms, sculpture out of toilet paper. Much of the work on display here is Folk Art: traditional crafts--paper weaving, soap carving, toothpick constructions-handed down not from generation to generation but from cellmate to cellmate.

Betsey Garand is a New Hampshire native who received her BFA in Printmaking from the University of New Hampshire and an MFA in Printmaking from Tyler School of Art of Temple University. Williamsburg artist, Carolyn Webb is a sculptor and printmaker whose works have been exhibited widely in solo and group shows in the US and abroad. Kathryn Fanelli was born in Massachusetts to a traveling carnival family. She holds degrees in art and art education.

For twenty years, photographer Vaughn Sills collected images of a gardening style that, despite its long history, is unknown to most horticulturists and is disappearing quickly. Sills traveled through the Deep South searching out African-American folk gardens: those yards and gardens that reflect in form and organization some of the earliest African-American religious and cultural traditions. A selection of 30 photographs from Sill's book and information panels will be on display in the exhibit.

For Glenn, the exploration of lines is a continual source of inspiration whether in simple pencil and ink drawings, in three-dimensional manifestations with his Da'Muse wire figures or with his layered sculptures of the last three decades. In the recent works on view, the lines have evolved. The current exhibition will also bring together the artist's other line related works, including his iconic, layered sculptures of a man.

WOOD STONE WATER and Plantlife Collaborations

To speak with Shutesbury artist Karen Dolmanisth is to move between worlds. When she describes her artwork, her words demand the attention of your soul. Her site specific installations require the same attention. One feels that they 'inhabit' the space in which they are built, stone by stone, thread by thread, or from whatever materials are needed for that specific time and place. You, the viewer, are invited to cohabitate, become part of the work. It is an experience in the best sense of the word.

More than one hundred works from the Reading Public Museum, all organized according to the artists' colonies that played such a critical role in the development of Impressionism in America. The featured artists included Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase and Charles Webster Hawthorne.

Springfield Armory Goes to Hollywood

From the prop houses of the film industry, Springfield Armory NHS will showcase firearms used in blockbuster Hollywood movies. A onetime opportunity to experience these remarkable movie props. The exhibit features such specialties as two rubber prop copies of Colt 1847 Walker Revolvers, which were used by Clint Eastwood for stunts in the cult classic "Outlaw Josey Wales" and a Savage Arms company 1907 pistol fired by Jude Law in the gangster movie "Road to Perdition."

Turners Falls Exhibits/Events

Trunk Show

Representing decades of international travel, with fashions from all over the world, this is the private collection of "Sylvia K." All items are for sale. Plus the usual unconventional artwork and handmade items of interest by local artists you've come to expect at the Nook.

Pocumtuck Homelands Festival

Given the name Spozowialakws (Morningstar) by an Abenaki Elder, Kent is and enrolled member of the Nulhegan Band, Coosuk-Abanaki of Vermont, and also descended from NPissing, Montagnais, and Algonquin People from the Quebec area of Canada. Her gourd art work contains Native American symbols and designs of the Northeast Woodland People with focus on the Wabanaki group. Currently she is working on a series of gourd designs which she hopes will provide a visual language for the woodland people.

Westfield Exhibits/Events

Bike Decorating, Parade, and Outdoor movie

5:30 Bike decorating starts; 6:45 bike parade to Amelia Park; 8:30pm movie. Bike decorating starts at the Westfield Athenaeum parking lot where children will find ways to dress up the spokes, handlebars and helmets before creating their parade down Holland Avenue to Amelia Park. At 8:30, gather on the grass to see Big Hero 6. Be sure to bring a blanket or chairs. In case of rain, the decorating and parade are cancelled, but the movie will be shown indoors at Amelia Park Children's Museum.

Ms. Foster has taken many workshops and studied under many teachers trying to find a style. She loves bold styles and colors, painting the light. Loves to paint intricate subjects and of the many locations to which she has traveled. Her newest interest is "en plein aire" and is hoping to produce more original work. She loves to paint landscapes and flowers. She grew up in New Orleans and has painted a series of pictures representing her southern heritage.

Calls to Artists / Artist Opportunities

Call to artists

We are a website design agency creating branding and websites for businesses. We are especially interested in promoting art and design in the community and welcome any and all artists to display their works in our office space. We are at 28 Northampton Street in Easthampton.

Fall Craft/Agricultural Fair

Sponsoring Group Name: Friends of the Southwick Public LibrarySubmission Due Date: September 15Submission Fees: space $20City/Town: SouthwickWebsite:www.southwicklibrary.info

Seeking local crafters/artisans and producers of local agricultural products for their Craft/Agricultural Fall Fair to be held on October 24, from 9am to 3pm at the Southwick Town Hall located at 454 College Highway. Artisans and crafters are invited to apply. Growers and producers of local farm products are encouraged to apply. The application at www.southwicklibrary.info or picked up at the Southwick Library (95 Feeding Hills Road). Call Pat McMahon at 569-6531 with any questions.

Artist of the month in the Deli Cafe

Each month, River Valley Market hangs art works by selected artists in the Deli Cafe. To apply, visit the website and download and complete the application form. Work submitted for application must represent work to be displayed. Artists who are co-op member-owners are given priority. First-time exhibitors are welcome. Criteria for acceptance include technical and artistic quality, and an interesting subject matter. More info on website.

The Cheap Art Show

This is a one-day show that celebrates financial accessibility to art. Feel free to bring originals, or you could bring small works, seconds, mistakes, copies, or work that has been hanging around your studio forever and you would like to move out. We always get a great turn out and the art sells fast. Saturday, October 17, 5-8pm, at the Polish American Club, South Deerfield. All art priced $15 and under. Email for details and to sign up.

The Arts Council Biennial is a juried art show open to artists from Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. This year's theme, Motion-Emotion, can be interpreted freely, and all two and three-dimensional art in any style, as well as video and performance art will be considered. The Arts Council encourages submissions of large three-dimensional and performance weather-tolerant art for the outdoor exhibition space on the Forbes Library lawn. See website for more information.

The Greenfield Gallery: The Grand Opening!

The Greenfield Gallery is now accepting submissions for their Grand Opening on August 7th. Located at 231 Main Street, the Gallery's mission is to create a space in Greenfield that is a focal point for the arts. They hope to inspire, celebrate, and promote area artists and artisans while fostering a professional quality gallery environment. Submit up to 5 JPEGs via email with description of work and artist statement. All 2D work must be ready to hang. Submissions will be juried.

15th Anniversary Design Contest

Open Square seeks talented artists, graphic designers and illustrators to bring a unique, funny and smart visual identity to our 15th anniversary by creating a print-ready image or illustration that visually captures Open Square. Open Square will use your design on a t-shirt, poster and on social media. Open Square will not use your design without giving you credit. The winner will receive $600. See website link for usage, visual requirements and submission directions.

Amherst Public Art Commission looking for new members

City/Town: Amherst

The Amherst Public Art Commission is looking for interested people to join the Commission. The Commission is currently involved in a number of exciting projects to expand and improve the visual and performing arts in Amherst. For information on the work of the Commission and how to apply to be a Commission member, contact Rene Theberge.

Fall Fest Art Fair

Sponsoring Group Name: Ware Business and Civic AssociationSubmission Due Date: September 30Submission Fees: $25City/Town: WareWebsite:www.warebca.com

The annual Ware B&CA Fall Fest is a community festival in downtown Ware. The Fall Fest Art Fair, hosted by the Ware Historical Society, has vendor space available for artists. The spaces are 10 x 10, indoors and there are some tables available for artists. The fair is in the Great Room at the Ware Town Hall and is free to the public. Handicap accessible with dedicated parking for artists.

Monster Arts Project

Submission Due Date: August 15City/Town: Easthampton

A monster based art show to take place in Eastworks in Easthampton, October 9-31. The theme will be somewhat based around the idea of a Victorian era study, with the art work interspersed amongst things. The larger room will be more fine art/realistic/Victorian/scientific study ideas of monsters. The smaller secondary room will be more children's ideas of monsters. Looking for both 2D and 3D artists. The show will play host to several monster themed shows as well. Artwork can be submitted for sale or NFS.

Artisans of WMass Fall Craft Show

The Artisans of WMass is now accepting applications for our Fall Craft Show to take place on Saturday, October 3, 2015, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Yankee Candle Co. Healthworks Building in South Deerfield. We are seeking a variety of artists and fine crafters in every genre. This will be a juried show. It will be an indoor/outdoor show and will take place rain or shine. Limited electricity will be available on a first come, first served basis. App. online at: www.artisansofwmass.com.

Mill Arts Project (MAP)

The Mill Arts Project is an educational opportunity for first-time and experienced curators to develop their marketing and curating abilities by putting on an exhibit or an event for one to two months. While curators bring a vision or creative idea, ECA+ and Eastworks assists by providing a space, assisting with marketing for the exhibition or event, and project guidance. See website for more information.

Easthampton City Arts+

Join Easthampton's largest network of creative people. Stay connected and enjoy ECA+ creative opportunities! ECA+ welcomes members who live or work in Southampton, Westhampton and Easthampton. Members including visual artists, craftspeople, dancers, writers, performers, musicians etc. and creative businesses & organizations are invited to apply via the ECA+ website. Visit the easthamptoncityarts.com/apply for further information.

Taking our inspiration from Braque, who turned away from the model to get closer to reality, we will look but we will not copy. No more boring still lifes of castoff objects sitting on a shelf. No more trying to breathe life into dead objects. Creating our own still lifes with corrugated cardboard we are going to see how many ways we can take them apart and reassemble them in the search for the most exciting composition.

Try the potter's wheel for the first time or tackle a form you haven't tried yet. This is a very accommodating class with lots of demonstrations, individual instruction and opportunities to focus on your specific goals. The emphasis of the class will be on functional pottery using high-fired stoneware and glazes. Class session (8 weeks) offers time to explore bowls, mugs, plates and other forms based on student's experience. Beginners are welcome. Class size is limited to five students.

Learn to use ceramic tile, glass, pottery, found objects, etc. to make beautiful mosaics. Translate your ideas into the language of mosaics using pattern, repetition, color and rhythm as design elements. Learn and practice techniques for cutting materials and put it all together using the Indirect method. Class limited to 6 people, to allow for individual instruction in developing a successful, satisfying project, which could be a wall panel, tabletop, frame, or other two-dimensional surface.

Create a functional mosaic in just one evening in this popular class! Learn to use glass, found objects and concrete to make your own mosaic stepping stone for your garden or walkway. We'll discuss the patterns used in mosaics and see some examples of this art form that has been around for centuries. Learn how to cut glass and use the Indirect Method for creating a mosaic that will be a conversation piece in any garden! Sign up for one evening, or as many as you want.

Take your skills to the next level with more advanced demonstrations to help you improve your skills, make a set of bowls or plates, try a teapot, lidded jar or another project you have been dreaming about. Small classes offer time for individual demonstrations and one-on-one problem solving.

Mixed level Oil Painting

Mixed level Oil Painting with Valerie Bassett in Florence. Private and shared lessons available. Work in a comfortable home studio at your own pace with an experienced instructor. Student references available. $25 private hour.

In this workshop students will learn how to make several different kinds of gnomes- a girl, a boy and a baby (also referred to as a "gnomeling"). Using wool, a pipe cleaner and a felting needle, students will learn how to form the head, hat and body and explore the different ways you can "dress" a gnome and add details to make the gnomes unique. Polka dots, striped leggings, skirts, stars and other details will be demonstrated so that each gnome can be as simple, or elaborate, as students wish.

Lazy summer days lend themselves to felting! And making a variety of small, summer party-inspired vessels is a cinch with the flat resist method and a simplified approach to shaping and embellishment. This workshop is a wonderful introduction to creating 3D felted objects starting with a 2D template. No prior experience necessary!

This workshop begins with an exploration of monotype fundamentals: how to manipulate and modify ink to get a variety of line qualities, values, textures, layered colors and shapes. The painterly freedom of monotype opens up great flexibility in mark making and color layering as it is one of the most direct ways of making a print. Printmakers of all levels, including beginners, are welcome. Materials fee includes plate, inks and a limited quantity of paper.

Non-Instructional Figure Drawing

Self-guided students seeking to keep up their figure drawing skills with model. Starts with 5 2-minute poses for warm-up, followed by a long pose for the rest of the evening. All newcomers to the Figure Drawing class, please register by calling Workshop13 - leave a message if we are not available to talk - even if you are doing a drop-in class, we'd like to make sure you can be reached in the event that class is cancelled due to weather.

Figure Drawing Fridays

Figure drawing open studio in Northampton. We provide the model, some easels, music and occasionally snacks. We are an easy-going group and we enjoy the social/ community aspect of these sessions as much as the actual drawing. Bring your own materials and BYOB if you want. There is NO INSTRUCTOR at these sessions. RSVP requested as space is limited.

Plein Air Landscape Drawing And Painting with Kathleen Jacobs

Simple hikes will take class members to the river banks, meadows and countryside within Florence and Northampton. Initially, there will be an emphasis on drawing the form and structure of the landscape, seeking a certain grace and order from nature. There will be an added emphasis on finding visual unity when composing a sketch that will eventually become a painting. Students of all levels are welcome, open to all painters using oil, watercolor, acrylic or gouache.

Teresa Bonillo: Capturing The Embodied Spirit Through The Beauty Of Line And Shadow

Drawing the figure can be a daunting challenge, however when approached with the mindset of capturing the spirit of the body through the beauty of line and shadow, rather than simply producing a 'copy' we allow ourselves to engage in a conversation with the figure, to see what it reveals of itself to us.The course begins with an academic review of the anatomical shape, proportion and perspective of the figure combined with studies of short gestural poses in search of direction, movement and weight.

If you can make a line, a dot and curve, you can create Zentangle art! Zentangle drawing is an easy to learn and relaxing method of creating beautiful images from structured patterns. It is a combination of drawing and meditation, a blend of art and spirit. De-stress in a gentle classroom environment and feel the satisfaction of creating art. No artistic experience required. Bring your reading glasses as we work on 3.5 inch squares of paper. Anything is possible, one stroke at a time!

Stained Glass 101 Workshop

Create a beautiful sun catcher to grace your home or give as gifts. In this class we will cover all of the skills and techniques to build a unique piece of stained glass art. This is a perfect class for students with no experience as well as Intermediate students with some experience who may want a refresher course. All levels are welcome. All materials and supplies are included in the tuition.

Monotype prints are one-of-a-kind prints, all unique! Imagine painting on a sheet of plastic, placing paper over it, then running it through my printing press. Voila, the image comes out on the paper in reverse to how you painted it! Come have fun and play with water-based inks, brushes, and different papers to create your one-of-a-kind prints. No experience necessary; three students maximum per workshop means personal attention. See website for more info. Workshops in 2015: Sept 19, Oct 17, Nov 14.

Wood Inlay

Instructed by local Fine Furniture Maker, Sharon C. Mehrman. Create with wood! Wood inlay is the process of cutting out shapes in wood veneer, creating a recess in a wood background, and gluing the veneer into the recess. Learn to inlay lines and geometric designs with stringing, and to make complex designs with sheet veneer. Explore wood colors and exotic grain patterns with a huge variety of veneers available. All are welcome, no experience necessary.

Studio / Artist Space Available

Greenfield: Artist Lofts at Studio Seven

Open-air artist studios for rent in downtown Greenfield. Located above The Greenfield Gallery & Fine Art Printing in the newly named Studio Seven building. Awesome opportunity to be a part of this new focal point in Greenfield! Photographer and Fine Art Printing on site. Spaces available range from 220 sq/ft to 350sq/ft and include an additional community artist area.

Holyoke: Studio Space at Open Square

The arts and creative businesses are an integral part of the atmosphere at Open Square. We offer a limited number of incredible, work-only studios for artists and small businesses in the creative fields at substantially reduced rates. Perfect for artists, artisans, graphic designers and small architecture firms. Please visit our website for more photos and information on each available studio.